1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a bearing arrangement, particularly a multi-row large rolling bearing, for use in wind power installations, and a large rolling bearing for the mounting of components such as a wind turbine rotor or a crane.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The main bearings currently in use for wind power installations are, in many cases, roller bearing slewing rings. Many current wind power installations particularly use three-row roller bearing slewing rings—usually without teeth, although toothed main bearings are also employed in special installations, for example special gearless installations. Multi-row roller bearing slewing rings have come to dominate as the main bearings for wind turbines. The multi-row design is chosen in particular for its ability to absorb axial and radial forces of the kind usually encountered by the main bearing arrangement of a wind turbine.
Thus, DE 10 2007 019 482 A1, for example, describes a multi-row large rolling bearing, particularly an axial/radial bearing for use as the main bearing arrangement of the rotor shaft of a wind power installation (abbreviated WPI), essentially consisting of a vertically arranged, annularly shaped outer disk, an inner ring arranged coaxially with this outer disk, and two annularly shaped shaft disks arranged axially one on each side of and adjacent to the outer disk, wherein at least one row of rolling elements, maintained at an even spacing by a respective bearing cage, rolls between each of the two shaft disks and the outer disk, thus forming a first and a second rolling bearing for absorbing axial forces, while at least one additional row of rolling elements, optionally maintained at an even spacing by an additional cage, is arranged between the outer disk and the inner ring and forms a third rolling bearing for absorbing radial forces, characterized in that the two rolling bearings for absorbing axial forces are formed by two tapered roller bearings whose rolling elements, configured as tapered rollers, are oriented with their respective smaller front faces directed toward the longitudinal axis of the bearing.
The technical document DE 203 14 660 U1 also advances a rotor bearing/main bearing for the mounting of a rotor, in which cylindrical rollers in particular, but also possibly tapered rollers, can be used as rolling elements.
Finally, Patent Application DE 10 2008 046 218 A1 describes a radial rolling bearing comprising an inner ring arrangement that carries an inner raceway, an outer ring arrangement that carries an outer raceway, a row of rollers arranged so as to be able to roll between the inner raceway and the outer raceway, each roller rotating about a roller rotation axis, characterized by a row of balls, wherein each individual ball is configured to be supported at an inner contact point of the inner ring arrangement, an outer contact point of the outer ring arrangement, and a roller contact point on one of the rollers.